结合高斯过程和形变模型的超声图像分割方法

目标区域的先验形状在基于形变模型的超声图像分割方法中扮演着重要的角色。为了提高先验形状模型对目标轮廓形变细节的建模能力,提出了一种基于高斯过程的统计形状模型。目标的形状被表示成一种离散的随机时间序列;利用高斯过程的性质对训练集中的目标形状变化进行统计学习,从而生成目标的先验形状和先验概率。为给形变模型向目标区域的演化提供观测模型,结合超声图像中目标边缘内外灰度变化特征设计了一种径向纹理特征模型。分割的优化被转化为求最大后验概率的过程。基于真实的临床超声图像实验结果显示,与其他方法相比该方法在复杂形变区域和弱边缘区域提供了更准确和鲁棒的结果。     

Deformable model for estimating clothed and naked human shapes from a single image

Estimation of human shape from images has numerous applications ranging from graphics to surveillance. A single image provides insufficient constraints (e.g. clothing), making human shape estimation more challenging. We propose a method to simultaneously estimate a person’s clothed and naked shapes from a single image of that person wearing clothing. The key component of our method is a deformable model of clothed human shape. We learn our deformable model, which spans variations in pose, body, and clothes, from a training dataset. These variations are derived by the non-rigid surface deformation, and encoded in various low-dimension parameters. Our deformable model can be used to produce clothed 3D meshes for different people in different poses, which neither appears in the training dataset. Afterward, given an input image, our deformable model is initialized with a few user-specified 2D joints and contours of the person. We optimize the parameters of the deformable model by pose fitting and body fitting in an iterative way. Then the clothed and naked 3D shapes of the person can be obtained simultaneously. We illustrate our method for texture mapping and animation. The experimental results on real images demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.     

融入局部几何特征的流形谱聚类图像分割

为了改善谱聚类图像分割的精准性和时效性,文中提出融入局部几何特征的流形谱聚类图像分割算法.首先,考虑图像数据的流形结构,在数据点的K近邻域内执行局部PCA,得到数据间本征维数的关系.然后,引入流形学习中的局部线性重构技术,通过混合线性分析器得到数据间局部切空间的相似性,结合二者构造含有局部几何特征的相似性矩阵.再利用Nystr m技术逼近待分割图像的特征向量,对构造的k个主特征向量执行谱聚类.最后,在Berkeley数据集上的对比实验验证文中算法的准确性和时效性优势.     

Robust Region Detection via Consensus Segmentation of Deformable Shapes

We consider the problem of stable region detection and segmentation of deformable shapes. We pursue this goal by determining a consensus segmentation from a heterogeneous ensemble of putative segmentations, which are generated by a clustering process on an intrinsic embedding of the shape. The intuition is that the consensus segmentation, which relies on aggregate statistics gathered from the segmentations in the ensemble, can reveal components in the shape that are more stable to deformations than the single baseline segmentations. Compared to the existing approaches, our solution exhibits higher robustness and repeatability throughout a wide spectrum of non‐rigid transformations. It is computationally efficient, naturally extendible to point clouds, and remains semantically stable even across different object classes. A quantitative evaluation on standard datasets confirms the potentiality of our method as a valid tool for deformable shape analysis.     

Learning Deformable Shape Manifolds

We propose an approach to shape detection of highly deformable shapes in images via manifold learning with regression. Our method does not require shape key points be defined at high contrast image regions, nor do we need an initial estimate of the shape. We only require sufficient representative training data and a rough initial estimate of the object position and scale. We demonstrate the method for face shape learning, and provide a comparison to nonlinear Active Appearance Model. Our method is extremely accurate, to nearly pixel precision and is capable of accurately detecting the shape of faces undergoing extreme expression changes. The technique is robust to occlusions such as glasses and gives reasonable results for extremely degraded image resolutions.     

Hierarchical vibrations for part-based recognition of complex objects

We propose a technique for the recognition and segmentation of complex shapes in 2D images using a hierarchy of finite element vibration modes in an evolutionary shape search. The different levels of the shape hierarchy can influence each other, which can be exploited in top-down part-based image analysis. Our method overcomes drawbacks of existing structural approaches, which cannot uniformly encode shape variation and co-variation, or rely on training. We present results demonstrating that by utilizing a quality-of-fit function the model explicitly recognizes missing parts of a complex shape, thus allowing for categorization between shape classes.     

前列腺磁共振图像分割的反卷积神经网络方法

目的 前列腺磁共振图像存在组织边界对比度低、有效区域少等问题,手工勾勒组织轮廓边界的传统分割方法无法满足临床实时性要求,针对这些问题提出了一种基于深度反卷积神经网络的前列腺磁共振图像分割算法。方法 基于深度学习理论,将训练图像样本输入设计好的卷积神经网络,提取具有高度区分性的前列腺图像特征,反卷积策略用于拓展特征图尺寸,使网络的输入尺寸与输出预测图大小匹配。网络生成的概率预测图通过训练一个softmax分类器,对预测图像取二值化,获得最终的分割结果。为克服原始图像中有效组织较少的问题,采用dice相似性系数作为卷积网络的损失函数。结果 本文算法以Dice相似性系数和Hausdorff距离作为评价指标,在MICCAI 2012数据集中,Dice相似性系数大于89.75%,Hausdorff距离小于1.3 mm,达到了传统方法的分割精度,并且将处理时间缩短在1 min以内,明显优于其他方法。结论 定量与定性的实验表明,基于反卷积神经网络的前列腺分割方法可以准确地对磁共振图像进行分割,相比于其他分割算法大幅度减小了处理时间,能够很好地适用于临床的前列腺图像分割任务。     

基于可变形样板的图像分割在医学影像上的应用

介绍了一种利用可变形的样板对图片进行分割的方法。方法的基本原理是通过对一个样板图像进行变形，使其能在最大程度上接近于目标图像来对目标图像分割的目的。使用样板变形进行图像分割的方法，可应用于医学影像中的器官分离等方面。     

3D anatomical shape atlas construction using mesh quality preserved deformable models

3D anatomical shape atlas construction has been extensively studied in medical image analysis research, owing to its importance in model-based image segmentation, longitudinal studies and populational statistical analysis, etc. Among multiple steps of 3D shape atlas construction, establishing anatomical correspondences across subjects, i.e., surface registration, is probably the most critical but challenging one. Adaptive focus deformable model (AFDM) [1] was proposed to tackle this problem by exploiting cross-scale geometry characteristics of 3D anatomy surfaces. Although the effectiveness of AFDM has been proved in various studies, its performance is highly dependent on the quality of 3D surface meshes, which often degrades along with the iterations of deformable surface registration (the process of correspondence matching). In this paper, we propose a new framework for 3D anatomical shape atlas construction. Our method aims to robustly establish correspondences across different subjects and simultaneously generate high-quality surface meshes without removing shape details. Mathematically, a new energy term is embedded into the original energy function of AFDM to preserve surface mesh qualities during deformable surface matching. More specifically, we employ the Laplacian representation to encode shape details and smoothness constraints. An expectation–maximization style algorithm is designed to optimize multiple energy terms alternatively until convergence. We demonstrate the performance of our method via a set of diverse applications, including a population of sparse cardiac MRI slices with 2D labels, 3D high resolution CT cardiac images and rodent brain MRIs with multiple structures. The constructed shape atlases exhibit good mesh qualities and preserve fine shape details. The constructed shape atlases can further benefit other research topics such as segmentation and statistical analysis.     

Kernel Density Estimation and Intrinsic Alignment for Shape Priors in Level Set Segmentation

In this paper, we make two contributions to the field of level set based image segmentation. Firstly, we propose shape dissimilarity measures on the space of level set functions which are analytically invariant under the action of certain transformation groups. The invariance is obtained by an intrinsic registration of the evolving level set function. In contrast to existing approaches to invariance in the level set framework, this closed-form solution removes the need to iteratively optimize explicit pose parameters. The resulting shape gradient is more accurate in that it takes into account the effect of boundary variation on the object’s pose. Secondly, based on these invariant shape dissimilarity measures, we propose a statistical shape prior which allows to accurately encode multiple fairly distinct training shapes. This prior constitutes an extension of kernel density estimators to the level set domain. In contrast to the commonly employed Gaussian distribution, such nonparametric density estimators are suited to model aribtrary distributions. We demonstrate the advantages of this multi-modal shape prior applied to the segmentation and tracking of a partially occluded walking person in a video sequence, and on the segmentation of the left ventricle in cardiac ultrasound images. We give quantitative results on segmentation accuracy and on the dependency of segmentation results on the number of training shapes. Electronic supplementary material Electronic supplementary material is available for this article at and accessible for authorised users.     

Interactive Image‐Guided Modeling of Extruded Shapes

A recent trend in interactive modeling of 3D shapes from a single image is designing minimal interfaces, and accompanying algorithms, for modeling a specific class of objects. Expanding upon the range of shapes that existing minimal interfaces can model, we present an interactive image‐guided tool for modeling shapes made up of extruded parts. An extruded part is represented by extruding a closed planar curve, called base, in the direction orthogonal to the base. To model each extruded part, the user only needs to sketch the projected base shape in the image. The main technical contribution is a novel optimization‐based approach for recovering the 3D normal of the base of an extruded object by exploring both geometric regularity of the sketched curve and image contents. We developed a convenient interface for modeling multi‐part shapes and a method for optimizing the relative placement of the parts. Our tool is validated using synthetic data and tested on real‐world images.     

The role of model-based segmentation in the recovery of volumetricparts from range data

We present a method for segmenting and estimating the shape of 3D objects from range data. The technique uses model views, or aspects, to constrain the fitting of deformable models to range data. Based on an initial region segmentation of a range image, regions are grouped into aspects corresponding to the volumetric parts that make up an object. The qualitative segmentation of the range image into a set of volumetric parts not only captures the coarse shape of the parts, but qualitatively encodes the orientation of each part through its aspect. Knowledge of a part's coarse shape, its orientation, as well as the mapping between the faces in its aspect and the surfaces on the part provides strong constraints on the fitting of a deformable model (supporting both global and local deformations) to the data. Unlike previous work in physics-based deformable model recovery from range data, the technique does not require presegmented data. Furthermore, occlusion is handled at segmentation time and does not complicate the fitting process, as only 3D points known to belong to a part participate in the fitting of a model to the part. We present the approach in detail and apply it to the recovery of objects from range data     

先验形状约束的超声前列腺图像分割方法

提出一种结合超声前列腺图像的局部特征和前列腺的先验形状知识的分割方法。该方法在传统图像分割方法中引入了前列腺的先验形状约束,使得分割能够一定程度地避免由于超声图像中噪声、伪影、灰度分布不均匀等因素对前列腺分割所造成的影响。算法分为两个部分：先验形状模型的学习和先验形状约束的分割。在先验形状模型学习阶段,采用主成分分析方法对形状作特征提取,以高斯分布作为形变参数的估计;在先验形状约束分剖阶段,将基于局部高斯拟合特征的活动轮廓模型与形状模型相结合对前列腺图像分割。实验表明,所提出的方法在超声前列腺图像中取得了良好的分割效果,为临床诊断和治疗提供了定量分析的工具。     

Sectored snakes: evaluating learned-energy segmentations

We describe how to teach deformable models to maximize image segmentation correctness based on user-specified criteria, and present a method for evaluating which criteria work best. We show how to evaluate the efficacy of any resulting deformable model, given a sampling of ground truth, a model of the range of shapes tried during optimization, and a measure of shape closeness. In the domain of abdominal CT images, we demonstrate such evaluation on a simple “sectoring” of a snake in which intensity and perpendicular gradient are observed over equal-length segments. This specific set of qualities shows a measured improvement over an objective function that is uniform around the shape, and it follows naturally from examination of the latter's failures due to image variations around the organ boundary     

Progressive 3D shape segmentation using online learning

In this article, we propose a progressive 3D shape segmentation method, which allows users to guide the segmentation with their interactions, and does segmentation gradually driven by their intents. More precisely, we establish an online framework for interactive 3D shape segmentation, without any boring collection preparation or training stages. That is, users can collect the 3D shapes while segment them, and the segmentation will become more and more precise as the accumulation of the shapes.Our framework uses Online Multi-Class LPBoost (OMCLP) to train/update a segmentation model progressively, which includes several Online Random forests (ORFs) as the weak learners. Then, it performs graph cuts optimization to segment the 3D shape by using the trained/updated segmentation model as the optimal data term. There exist three features of our framework. Firstly, the segmentation model can be trained gradually during the collection of the shapes. Secondly, the segmentation results can be refined progressively until users’ requirements are met. Thirdly, the segmentation model can be updated incrementally without retraining all shapes when users add new shapes. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.     

异构人脸在流形空间中的相似模型研究

人脸艺术造型与其原型人脸的相似性是造型成功与否的关键指标之一。传统相似性研究建立在同构数据特征基础之上,对呈异构形态的二维图像人脸和三维网格人脸之间的相似性计算问题的研究还很少见。采用双层拉普拉斯流形对齐方法,通过对相同样本数的二维人脸数据集和三维人脸数据集进行协同降维,发现两者的共享流形嵌入,建立异构的二维人脸图像与三维网格人脸之间的相似模型,实现对异构人脸之间相似性的定量计算。通过实验,证明了该方法的合理性与有效性。     

Multiphase B-spline level set and incremental shape priors with applications to segmentation and tracking of left ventricle in cardiac MR images

This paper presents a new multiphase active contour model for object segmentation and tracking. The paper introduces an energy functional which incorporates image feature information to drive contours toward desired boundaries, and shape priors to constrain the evolution of the contours with respect to reference shapes. The shape priors, in the model, are constructed by performing the incremental principal component analysis (iPCA) on a set of training shapes and newly available shapes which are the resulted shapes derived from preceding segmented images. By performing iPCA, the shape priors are updated without repeatedly performing PCA on the entire training set including the existing shapes and the newly available shapes. In addition, by incrementally updating the resulted shape information of consecutive frames, the approach allows to encode shape priors even when the database of training shapes is not available. Moreover, in shape alignment steps, we exploit the shape normalization procedure, which takes into account the affine transformation, to directly calculate pose transformations instead of solving a set of coupled partial differential equations as in gradient descent-based approaches. Besides, we represent the level set functions as linear combinations of continuous basic functions expressed on B-spline basics for a fast convergence to the segmentation solution. The model is applied to simultaneously segment/track both the endocardium and epicardium of left ventricle from cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) images. Experimental results show the desired performances of the proposed model.     

流形正则化约束的图像语义分割

目的 在基于深度学习的图像语义分割方法中,损失函数通常只考虑单个像素点的预测值与真实值之间的交叉熵并对其进行简单求和,而引入图像像素间的上下文信息能够有效提高图像的语义分割的精度,但目前引入上下文信息的方法如注意力机制、条件随机场等算法需要高昂的计算成本和空间成本,不能广泛使用。针对这一问题,提出一种流形正则化约束的图像语义分割算法。方法 以经过数据集ImageNet预训练的残差网络(residual network, ResNet)为基础,采用DeepLabV3作为骨架网络,通过骨架网络获得预测分割图像。进行子图像块的划分,将原始图像和分割图像分为若干大小相同的图像块。通过原始图像和分割图像的子图像块,计算输入数据与预测结果所处流形曲面上的潜在几何约束关系。利用流形约束的结果优化分割网络中的参数。结果 通过加入流形正则化约束,捕获图像中上下文信息,降低了网络前向计算过程中造成的本征结构的损失,提高了算法精度。为验证所提方法的有效性,实验在Cityscapes和PASCAL VOC 2012(pattern analysis, statistical modeling and computational learning visual object classes)两个数据集上进行。在Cityscapes数据集中,精度值为78.0%,相比原始网络提高了0.5%;在PASCAL VOC 2012数据集中,精度值为69.5%,相比原始网络提高了2.1%。同时,在Cityscapes数据集中进行对比实验,验证了算法的有效性,对比实验结果证明提出的算法改善了语义分割的效果。结论 本文提出的语义分割算法在不提高推理网络计算复杂度的前提下,取得了较好的分割精度,具有极大的实用价值。     

快速几何可变形彩色昆虫图像分割算法

为了解决大部分现有几何可变形方法无法用于彩色图像分割的问题,给出了快速几何可变形彩色图像分割算法,并应用于昆虫图像。实验结果表明：该算法能够很好地分割出昆虫对象,而基于通道-通道的几何可变形算法在不同通道上得到不同的昆虫对象边缘。     

人体心脏的4维图像建模和参数分析

研究一种基于4维医学图像的活动形状模型方法,用于构建人类心脏的3维柔性模型并进行自动化参数分析,以得到心脏各方位的量化功能指标。首先,通过造影技术获取心脏周期内各时刻的立体图像,根据时间序列形成一组4维图像。在大量医学图像的基础上,用统计方法分析得到心脏的一般形状,局部的变化范围和分布概率密度,为人类心脏建立一个数字化的计算模型。在此基础上,针对具体病人进行图像分割和形状拟合以计算其心脏静态和动态形状参数,然后分析得到与心脏功能相关的一些重要参数。研究内容包括心脏模型的建立,心脏静态参数分析,心脏动态功能分析,疾病分析等,对病人心脏在特定时刻的每组图像生成其3维结构模型,为医生提供丰富有力的诊断和治疗依据。